Thrift Store Decor Upcycle Challenge: Faux Mercury Glass Lamps

by

Julie

-

April 14, 2016

I’m so excited to bring you this Thrift Store Decor Upcycle Challenge! I’ve teamed up with 20 other bloggers for this thrift store blog hop. The rules were simple–take an item(s) from a thrift store, yard sale, resale shop etc. and transform it into a new piece of home decor. There was no budget or theme to stick to, so we were free to let our creativity run wild!

For The Thrift Store Upcycle Challenge I decided to take another run at making faux mercury glass lamps for my bedroom. In case you missed it, I tried this project a couple of months ago, you can get the details HERE.

I wanted to paint a pair of lamps using the pretty “faux mercury glass” technique with Kryon Looking Glass spray paint. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that the original color will show through a little bit. I found 2 lamps that were the same style but different colors. The ivory lamp came out really pretty, but the blue one looked pretty awful – so I escorted it directly into the trash.

Please ignore the terrible orange furniture in my dining room – I recently found a 70’s cabinet at the ReStore that I’m going to refurbish

Last week I lucked out and found 2 matching lamps at my favorite Rescue Mission thrift store for $5.99 each. They were a blushy-beige, and I thought that would work out fine if it showed a little….and at least they match each other this time around.

Materials List

Faux Mercury Glass Lamp Tutorial – Take 2!

Tape off the parts of the lamp that you don’t want painted – the cord and the light socket

2. LIGHTLY spray the lamps with a solution of half vinegar and half water. You’re going for a light mist – you don’t want the water dripping. This is the only slightly tricky part of the whole project. You’ll want to hold the spray bottle some distance away from the lamp.

3. Spray the wet lamps with the Looking Glass paint. The solution will keep the paint from sticking to the lamp.

Wait a minute or so and dab the lamp with a soft cloth. It should look cloudy and have black spots just like real mercury glass.

That’s really it…it’s a pretty fast and easy project, and who doesn’t like (almost) instant gratification? You can repeat the process if you want to, but I’ve found it isn’t usually necessary.

I topped them off with burlap drum shades for $12.99 each, so each lamp came in at about $20.

Yes, I know that my pillowcase is crazy-wrinkled. No, I’m not going to iron it – not even for blog pictures. 😉

We now have 2 matching faux mercury glass lamps in our bedroom….PROGRESS!!!

Thank you for stopping by and checking out my contribution to the Thrift Store Decor Upcycle Challenge!

I can’t wait to see what all the other bloggers have come up with! Be sure to stop and visit our other hostesses.

Related Posts

Hi there! I’ve teamed up with 19 other talented bloggers to bring you a monthly Thrift Store Decor Upcycle Challenge. Each month we will create a new home decor piece from an item(s) we’ve found at a thrift store, yard sale, resale shop etc. There is […]

It’s time for another Thrift Store Upcycle Challenge!! I’ve paired up with an amazing group of talented ladies to bring you a monthly thrift store challenge. Each month we will create a new home decor piece from an item(s) we’ve found at a thrift store, yard sale, resale shop etc. […]

So I pinned a few tutorials on Pinterest on how to make DIY mercury glass. If you haven’t seen this yet, the basic idea is to lightly mist a glass vase, votive or lamp with a solution of 50/50 water and white vinegar, then hit […]

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In this blog I write about my DIY and decorating projects and share easy recipes and party ideas. I live in a small 1920's home, so my blog is packed with budget minded ideas that work great for small spaces.
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Julie Briggs

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